Conventionally, a recliner chair will move from an upright position, in which the backrest is generally upright, to one or more reclined positions, in which the backrest pivots to be less upright. The movement of the seating unit between the upright and reclined positions is typically controlled by a pair of synchronized reclining mechanisms that are attached to the seat, backrest and base of the chair. Many recliners will have an extendable footrest that provides support for the occupant's feet in the reclined position.
One particularly popular recliner is the “three-way” recliner, which has two reclined positions: a “TV position”, in which the footrest or ottoman of the chair is projected forwardly from the chair while the backrest remains substantially upright; and a “fully reclined position”, in which the backrest is less upright (i.e., it has been reclined to a shallower angle relative to the floor). In a “three-way” recliner, the backrest pivots relative to the seat as the chair takes its fully reclined position; this differs from a “two-way” recliner, in which the backrest and seat are rigidly fixed and do not pivot relative to one another as the chair moves to the fully reclined position. Many three-way recliners are constructed such that the backrest and footrest are coupled to one another, such that reclining of the backrest cannot occur unless the footrest is already extended (i.e., the chair is in the TV position). See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,915,444 to Rogers, Jr. and U.S. Pat. No. 6,540,291 to Hoffman, which illustrate chairs of rather contemporary style with three-way reclining capability.
As chair styles vary, providing reclining capability can become a challenge, particularly for chairs with smaller frames, off-the floor styles, or low seat heights. In particular, footrest extension can become an issue for some chair styles, as the ability to extend a footrest forwardly can be limited by the amount of space available beneath the seat of the chair. Such space may be limited in off-the-floor styles if the reclining mechanisms are to remain hidden when the chair is in the upright position. Also, space may be limited for a chair with a low seat height or a relatively tall base, such as one having a swivel unit. As such, it may be desirable to provide footrest extension mechanisms that can extend a footrest an adequate distance while still functioning with multiple chair styles.